How to make homemade fortune cookies for Chinese New Year

Patricia Conte has a background in marketing communications and works as an independent writer. In 2010, she was given the opportunity to combine her love of writing and food when she started as a contributing writer for the Food channel...

Celebrate Chinese New Year by making and sharing these fun fortune cookies

The year of the Rooster is almost upon us! Chinese New Year is on Jan. 28, and homemade fortune cookies are the perfect way to celebrate.

These little gems are delicious, of course, but the best thing about them is you can stuff your own personalized fortunes inside. Perfect conversation starters for a Chinese New Year party — or any party, really.

These cookies are super fun to serve, but there's one thing you should know: Making them is not for the leisurely baker. You have to work fast to put these together, but the effort is worth it.

Grab a friend or two to personalize the fortunes, then work together to make the cookie prep easier. These cookies might not be quite as crunchy as the sort you find at a Chinese restaurant, but they're adorable, and they taste great too!

The first step to making fortune cookies is to form the batter into rounds.

After baking for 4 to 6 minutes, remove the cookies from the oven, and flip them. Get ready to work quickly.

Place your personalized fortune in the center of the cookie, with a bit sticking over one edge. Quickly fold the cookie in half like a taco...

... then pinch the two ends of the cookie together.

Place the cookies in a mini muffin tin to help keep their shape as they cool.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set them aside.

Use a mixer to beat the egg whites and sugar until combined and frothy.

Add the butter, honey, almond extract and orange zest, and mix until combined.

Add the flour to the mixture, and blend until incorporated.

Use a round cookie cutter about 3 inches in diameter to serve as your template. You'll add batter the size of the cookie cutter (about 1/2 teaspoon) onto the sheet (3 at a time). Use an offset knife or the back of a spoon to evenly and thinly spread the mixture into the circle.

Bake 1 side only for 4 to 6 minutes or until the edges turn golden and the centers begin to turn color.

Remove from the oven and, working quickly, use a spatula to flip over the rounds. Add a fortune to the center of the circle, and then fold it in half (like a taco). Quickly fold the 2 ends together, and place the cookie in a mini muffin tin to help it keep its form.

Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the tin.